History of Egypt From 330 B.C. To the Present Time, Volume 12 (of 12) eBook

and set men to work at those of Lesbeh, Damietta,
Burlos, and Rosetta, situated on the sea-coast.
He pressed forward the works of Alexandria, and imparted
fresh activity to the scientific researches of the
Institute of Egypt, and a valuable mass of information
was embodied in the great French work, the “Description
de l’Egypte.” From the cataracts to
the mouths of the Nile, everything assumed the aspect
of a solid and durable establishment. Two months
afterwards, the caravans of Syria, Arabia, and Darfur
began to appear again at Cairo.

But a deplorable event snatched away General Kleber
in the midst of his exploits and of his judicious
government. He was assassinated in the garden
of his palace by a young man, a native of Aleppo, named
Suleiman, who was a prey to extravagant fanaticism.

With Kleber’s death, Egypt was lost for France.
Menou, who succeeded him, was very far beneath such
a task. The English offered to make good the
convention of El Arish, but Menou refused, and England
prepared for an invasion, after attempting vainly
to co-operate with the Turks.

Sir Ralph Abercrombie, who had been appointed as British
commissioner, landed with the English army alone at
Abukir. After fierce skirmishing, the French
and English met on the plains of Alexandria. In
the frightful conflict which ensued, Sir Ralph Abercrombie
was slain, but the battle ended with the retreat of
the French. Damietta surrendered on April 19th.
The French were now divided, while Menou hesitated.
General Hutchinson took the place of the deceased
British commander. A great battle was fought
at Cairo, which was won by the British, and the capital
itself now fell into their hands. General Hutchinson
then closed in upon Alexandria; and, after hard fighting,
Menou at length surrendered. The French troops
were allowed to return to France with all their belongings,
except the artillery, August 27, 1801.

CHAPTER III.—­THE RULE OF MEHEMET ALI

Mehemet’s rise to power: Massacre of
the Mamluks: Invasion of the Morea: Battle
of Navarino: Struggle with the Porte: Abbas
Pasha, Muhammed Said, and Ismail Pasha: Ismail’s
lavish expenditure: Foreign bondholders and the
Dual Control.

From the beginning of the eighteenth century, the
destiny of Egypt was the destiny of one man; he aided
the political movements, and accelerated or retarded
social activity; he swayed both commerce and agriculture,
and organised the army to his liking; he was the heart
and brain of this mysterious country. Under the
watchful eyes of Europe, attentive for more than forty
years, this Macedonian soldier became the personification
of the nation under his authority, and, in the main,
the history of the country may be summed up in the
biography of Mehemet Ali. If we consider the
events of his life, and the diverse roads by which
he reached the apogee of his fortunes, reviewing the
scenes, now sombre, now magnificent, of that remarkable
fate, we obtain a complete picture of Egypt itself,
seen from the most intimate, real, and striking point
of view.